Disc Lamer: I own nothing. Nothing at ALL!

A/N: Thank you all for reviewing! I really appreciate it!

-HDWest

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Ron felt like drowning himself in the shower. It wouldn't be that hard, after all. He was already half-way there, just standing under the water, letting his hair soak, ignoring the feeling in his lungs (the one that told him he needed to breathe). Finally, sputtering, he pulled his head back, deciding that he was done with his shower. Turning the water off, he heard voices downstairs. Well, of course he was going to hear voices, there were about six of them down there (not including Hermione).

Drying off, he wondered why his parents would invite her over without telling him about it. Everyone knew he loved her; it was obvious, even to him. He wouldn't have doubted if she knew he loved her. After dressing in clean clothes, he made his way back down the stairs, dreading that Hermione would be there already. But she wasn't; instead he saw Bill and Fleur chatting animatedly with his mother. Bill was looking better than he had been that night, and Fleur was looking much more down-to-earth.

Ginny noticed Ron first, and said, "All fresh now?" Ron snarled and sat back down at the table to eat, since he had run off after Fred and George's 'attack'. He looked back up and saw his father join the conversation about Bill's wedding. He choked on his eggs, having forgotten completely. The wedding was this weekend… Fleur had been having stressful days finishing all the planning. As he looked at her now, she looked like she hadn't slept properly in a long time.

Before anyone else could join in, there was a whoosh in the fireplace, and Hermione appeared, her nose wrinkled at the soot on her face. Ron bit his lip, and Harry stood up to help her get the ash out of her hair and clothes. Ginny was watching Ron, and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Ron, she's here for the wedding, not to see you," she said, grinning.

"Thanks, Gin, that makes me feel loads better," Ron retorted, suddenly not hungry anymore. He pushed his plate away, and watched Harry and Hermione hug before coming back to the table. Hermione looked much happier now, and was smiling warmly at all the Weasleys.

"Hi, Ron," she said, sitting next to him. Ron returned the greeting warmly, and his thoughts turned to Hermione's hands, folded on top of the table while his mother bustled around for another plate for her. "You don't have to get me anything, Mrs. Weasley, I already ate."

"Nonsense," the woman replied. "You're thin as a twig. What did you have to eat?"

"I had a bowl of cereal and some toast. Honestly, Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine."

Mrs. Weasley set a plate with everything in front of an exasperated Hermione, who complied and picked at her eggs, eating some every once in a while. Ron smiled and said, "Just pretend you're eating. She'll believe it." Hermione rolled her eyes and took another bite of eggs before nodding.

"Yeah, I know."

"Oh." Ron felt his ears redden slightly, and he looked back at his own plate, before pulling it back to himself and taking a bite of a piece of bacon. Before long, everyone had finished their breakfast, and began excusing themselves from the table, and Hermione stayed to help Mrs. Weasley with the dishes. Ron wanted to stay, too, but he didn't want things to be excruciatingly obvious, so took to his room, Harry following.

When they walked inside, Harry was laughing, and Ron's ears blended quite nicely with his hair. "Shut up," he muttered, collapsing on his bed. Harry was still laughing, and sat down on the bed beside Ron's, wondering why his best friend was so stupid.

"You're magnificent, you know that?" Harry asked, lying on his back, trying to stop laughing, to avoid further embarrassment on Ron's part. "Why don't you just tell her already?"

"And get this kind of reaction?" Ron asked, waving his hand at Harry, who was still laughing on the bed. "She'll just laugh in my face."

Harry sat up, suddenly, his face serious. "Ron, she wouldn't do that to you. You guys have been best friends since first year. We all have. I know she wouldn't laugh at you." He grinned as Hedwig flew in the room and landed on the bed next to him, a letter tied to her leg. Stroking her feathers, he untied the letter and opened it.

Ron climbed on the bed and read the envelope over Harry's shoulder. "Charlie got our letter. Good." Harry read the letter and grinned, giving it to Ron next. "He's going to be here tomorrow. I should go tell Mum." Ron got up off the bed and left Harry to his owl.

When he walked downstairs, it seemed a bit hectic. Bill and Fleur were still arguing over wedding stuff, and Fred and George seemed to have done something to upset Ginny, because she looked like she was ready to kill them. His mother was looking around, flustered, and when she spotted Ron, she called him over. "Ronald, help Hermione with the dishes. I have to pull your sister off of the twins…" And with that she was gone.

"Wait! I'm supposed to tell you something!" he shouted after, but she was already shouting at Fred and George. He turned around, resigned, and smiled at Hermione before pulling a dish into the sink, while she rinsed the ones his mother had already washed. The next dish he dropped in, and accidentally splashed water all over himself. "Great," he muttered, while Hermione chuckled. The water was all over the floor by the sink, but they would mop it up when they were done.

When they were nearing the end of the pile of dishes, Hermione took a step closer to Ron to grab a dish out of his hands, so she could rinse it, and her foot slipped on the water. Ron heard her gasp in shock, and pulled his hands out of the water to catch her before she knocked him over. But she did anyway. Ron felt his knees buckle from the inertia of her fall, and landed on his back, Hermione on top of his, face flushed.

But it reddened even more when they both realized their predicament, and she scrambled to her feet, grabbing the dish, and rinsing it off, setting it with the others. "Sorry," she mumbled, concentrating wholly on the dishes.

"'S okay," he said, blushing himself. They finished the dishes without another word, and Molly came back, grinning, pleased. "Charlie'll be here tomorrow, Mum," he said, and left for his bedroom, wishing he could just die.

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There's chapter two! Review review review! That rhymed! Woooooo!

-HDWest